Claims News Service, Aug. 29, 4:57 p.m. EDT -- Zurich Insurance Company ranks highest in customer satisfaction in Japan with response to auto insurance claims, according to J.D. Power Asia Pacific's 2007 Japan Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction Study.

The study, now in its fourth year, evaluates customer satisfaction with auto insurance -- including among other things a company's response to auto insurance claims. Results demonstrated that what is important to claimants is universal, no matter where they are located in the world.

According to J.D. Power, overall satisfaction with response to auto insurance claims was based on three factors (in order of importance): payment of insurance (39 percent); report on progress/ability to solve problems (31 percent); and responsiveness/handling when contacted for accident (30 percent). Sound familiar?

Zurich ranked highest in satisfaction with response to auto insurance claims with a score of 695 out of 1,000. The study reported that Zurich performed well across the three factors, scoring particularly well in responsiveness/handling when contacted for accidents.

In recent years, failure of insurance companies to pay on claims to customers has been an important issue in the accident insurance industry all over the world, and the study found that payment of a claim continues to be the most influential factor driving satisfaction.

The study also finds that customers who are more satisfied with their insurance company's response to auto insurance claims tend to say that they chose their insurance company for reasons such as "good responsiveness/handling," a reputation for being a "reliable insurance company," and for "various services provided, such as 24-hour customer support."

"These results indicate that the entire industry must make efforts to restore customer trust in their insurance companies," said Mikito Ichikawa, general manager of the service and technology industry group at J.D. Power Asia Pacific, in a release. "Customer satisfaction with response to auto insurance claims has an impact on whether customers stay with their current insurance company upon renewal of their contract. It is vitally important for insurance companies to improve customer satisfaction with response to auto insurance claims in order to enhance their customer base."

Interested in more auto-claim news and in-depth articles? Head over to Claims' auto-claim channel for more information.

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